HCIL-2013-03

Cooperative Inquiry is a Participatory Design method that
involves children (typically 7-11 years old) as full partners with
adults in the design of technologies intended for use by children.
For many years, child designers have worked together with adults
in Cooperative Inquiry approaches. However, in the past children
have not typically initiated the design problems tackled by the
intergenerational team, nor have they acted in leadership roles by
conducting design sessions– until now. In this paper, we detail
three case studies of Cooperative Inquiry in which children led the
process of design, from initial problem formulation through one
iteration of design review and elaboration. We frame our analysis
from three perspectives on the design process: behaviors exhibited
by child leaders and their fellow co-designers; supports required
for child leaders; and views expressed by child leaders and their
co-design cohort about the sessions that they led.

The HCIL has a long, rich history of transforming the experience people have with new technologies. From understanding user needs, to developing and evaluating these technologies, the lab's faculty, staff, and students have been leading the way in HCI research and teaching.